206 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Colts should have grain every winter until four 

 years old. I would commence breaking the winter 

 before three years old. See that the colt is in a 

 good, healthy, thriving condition. Never break a 

 poor, weak colt, unless you want to break his con- 

 stitution. I would get a new rope 7-8 inch in di- 

 ameter, of which make a slip-halter; a larger rope 

 would be burdensome — one much smaller would 

 be apt to indent the grisly part of the nose, and 

 thus injure the shape of the face. When haltered 

 the colt should not be tied fast, as they will be lia- 

 ble to pull and strain the cords of the neck; but 

 hold the rope with sufficient strength to keep them, 

 slackening up occasionally, to relieve the muscles 

 of the head and neck. 



When sufficiently subdued to be managed by one 

 hand, which will generally take but a few moments, 

 the person holding the rope should walk to and 

 fro before him, giving at each side a slight jerk 

 upon the rope, which, in a little time, will learn Uhey can run about, and the bellows will not work 



THE AIR IN AGRICULTURE AND FOR 

 ANIMAL LIFE. 



Now, I must not forget that I ought to be referring 

 more especially to the fact that all people and all 

 living animals are loading the air with the poison- 

 ous gas which comes up through the windpipe 

 chimney, from the furnaces burning inside them. — 

 But let us still further digress for one minute, just 

 to point out the fact which tluis appears, that a 

 large portion of the food an animal eats is in re- 

 ality wasted — spent as fuel — burned up witiiin it, 

 just to maintain its bodily heat. And the farmer 

 might take a hint from that; of course, if his feed- 

 ing cattle or sheep are exposed to cold and rain, 

 they will need burn more fuel to keep the heat of 

 life within them. Keep them warm artificially, 

 and less of the turnip and hay which they eat will 

 be burned up within them; keep them quiet in 

 stalls or boxes, instead of in yards or fields, where 



the animal to follow the string before it is pulled 

 This should be done daily, until he can be led, or 

 handled, anywhere. Next apply the bit. Never 

 use a curb, but take a bridle with a common snap- 

 pie bit, with gag reins to hold up the head, and 

 martingals to hold in the nose — the reins attached 

 to a crupper and fastened firmly on the back with 

 a circingle. The reins should not be drawn too 

 tight at first, but may be buckled up occasionally, 

 until drawn close, and kept in this condition the 

 greater part of the day, for at least one week, tak- 

 ing oflfthe bit at night. While bitting, handle, 

 curry, and drive around. 



Next put on the harness. Secure, if possible, 

 a harness with gag reins, crupper, martingals, &c.; 

 buckle all up close. After a little, attach to some 

 light vehicle, and drive on a walk — learn a colt to 

 walk first, a quicker pace can be acquired after- 

 wards. A colt should never be put to a load re- 

 quiring his utmost strength to move, until four 

 years old. Colts may be driven in a harness, with 

 a light load, without injury, much younger than 

 they can be used under the saddle. They should 

 be trained in the stable, to understand and obey all 

 that is said to them. Learn a colt to go, and back, 

 and hold back, by the word of mouth. Never 

 whip, except in the stable. If a young horse is in- 

 clined to stop, or balk, as it is called, (when they 

 manifest this disposition) stop them, and never let 

 them know that they stop of their own accord. 



Never hurry a fickle horse, young or old. Slack 

 up or lay down your reins, and wait patiently fif- 

 teen minutes; then start quickly, and so manage 

 until entirely cured, which will seldom fail. 



Colts, after driving, should be cleansed and rubbed 

 thoroughly before entirely cool; this will prevent 

 soreness, wind-galls, &c. 



When thoroughly trained to the harness, then 

 break to ride. This should be done by one hand 

 — good bridle, martingals, girth drawn tight — get 

 on, and stick. If well trained to the bit and har- 

 ness, there will be no difficulty in breaking to ride, 



As this is my first essay on 

 think I will stop here for the present. 

 Yours truly. 



horse-breaking, 



I 



E. C. 



-Michigan Fanner. 



'Weigh every step that you are about to take, 

 whenever passions become involved. How often 

 do things assume a diflJerent aspect, when they are 

 fairly considered. 



so actively, and the fire will not burn so fiercely in 

 their lungs, and less of the food will be spent in 

 the mere act of burning as fuel — more will be avail- 

 able for the purpose for which food is given; that 

 is, for the formation of fat and the promotion of 

 growth. It is not unfraquently the case that a lot 

 of sheep, folded out in cold weather on the turnip 

 field, gain no flesh at all. The fact is, every bit 

 of food that is eaten by them is burned up witliin 

 them just to preserve animal heat, and the farmer 

 might just as well have thrown it all into the fire at 

 once; but house those sheep, or feed thern in sliel- 

 tered yards, where they lose heat less rapidly, they 

 will not need so much fuel to keep themselves 

 comfortal)le, and some of their food will form flesh. 



Now let us return to the fact that t!ie nir is be- 

 ing poisoned by all this breathing and fire-burning. 

 You will find that a very little breathing through 

 some lime water will make it muddy enough, prov- 

 ing how much more carbonic acid, and how much 

 less oxygen, there is in the air that is breathed in. 

 The fact is, the air we breathe out contains 100 

 times more carbonic acid than the air we breathe 

 in. A man, by the union of the air he breathes in 

 with the carbon of his food in his lungs, throws 

 out in his breath in this way, in the course of a 

 year, about 1-2 cwt. of charcoal; as much, perhaps, 

 as there is in a sack of coals. Indeed, the quanti- 

 ty of carbon or (diarcoal thus added to the air ev- 

 ery year by the breath of all the animals, human or 

 otherwise, in Great Britain, is estimated at 2,000,- 

 tons' weight. 



Well, then, the air would very soon become un- 

 fit for man and other animals to live in, were it not 

 for the beautiful arrangement of carbonic acid gas, 

 being sent into the air, that plants remove it. As 

 fast as charcoal in fires and candles and in food is 

 uniting with the health-giving oxygen of the air, 

 and forming the deadly gas, the plants are decom- 

 posing its carbonic acid, and taking the charcoal 

 forming their own'selves out of it, and giving back 

 the health-giving oxygen pure to the air again; so 

 that thus the air is maintained fit for use. It is 

 only in the daylight, or sunshine, that plants have 

 this power, however, and you know that if you 

 want to blanch a plant, a rhubarb plant for instance; 

 that is, hinder it from becoming woody, or hinder 

 it from decomposing the carbonic acid of the air, 

 and so obtaining charcoal to form wood, all that 

 you have to do is to keep it from the light. And 

 again, if wheat is too thick and luxuriant in spring 



